Just One Bite
by MoustacheRain
Summary: Pretty much a story that was inspired by lyndzkins on Twitter. Aria is hospitalized after an attack, which leads to some rash decisions regarding Ezra. My first story. Read please? :)
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, this is my first story... With that said... I hope you enjoy! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own ABSOLUTELY nothing. The only thing I have to my name is my glasses and this plot.**

* * *

Aria walked along the street, not really paying attention to what was going on. She had just run out of Ezra's apartment, knowing she couldn't take anymore. He was so mad at her for not telling him about Malcolm and Maggie, she just couldn't take it.

She must have been half way to her house before she heard it. A low growling, coming from the bushes next to her. She looked around, frozen in fear.

Her mind flew to A, and she prayed A wasn't hiding in the corner with a rabid dog. She realized just how silly that thought was and she started walking again. –A wouldn't stoop that low. Or would he/she/it? Aria brushed it off again, and continued waking. She had just turned a corner when she saw a hooded figure holding a leash. Apparently –A would stoop that low.

She turned the other direction and ran. She hoped that her heels wouldn't slow her down too much, since they were too hard to just kick off.

She had barely gotten away when she tripped. All too soon, she felt a weight on top of her. She screamed, attempting to get away from the wet muzzle that was now sniffing at her.

She heard a deep voice yelled "Now!" and then she felt teeth puncture her flesh. Aria cried out in pain. She was losing consciousness when she felt someone pick up her arm.

* * *

She awoke in a bright room, surrounded by medical equitment. Aria took a moment to be grateful that she wasn't looked up in A's Lair when she sat up, very slowly, wincing when she moved her neck. She was a bit dizzy when she saw him.

Ezra. He sat in a chair, looking stressed when she caught his eye. He stood, walking next to her bedside. "Aria, are you okay? Do you remember what happened?"

"Yes," Aria croaked out, "A dog bit me…What happened?"

"After you ran out, Maggie and I went looking for you. The girls went too. Maggie found you, lying under some bushes. You were pretty hurt," He paused for a moment and she saw that he was holding back tears, "We got you here, and the doctor's called your parents. They left me here so they could eat something."

"Ezra, how long have I been out?"

"Three days… You lost almost 2 pints of blood. There are bite marks all over you. That dog just ripped you up." He let out a long sigh before continuing, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you leave. Aria, I'm so sorry. I know that you were right not to tell me about Maggie. I'm so sorry." With that, he hung his head in shame.

She used all her strength to pull him into a hug. "It is not your fault."

"You could have died, Aria."

"But I didn't. And since I did get so close to death, I demand something." She grinned, knowing he'd have to give her what she wanted. Normally she would feel bad about using his guilt to get what she wanted, but this was clearly a special circumstance.

"Anything you want, Aria. Anything." He said, and she almost felt bad. Almost.

"Get in here and hold me." After a moment of hesitation, he did it.

In a matter of moments, they were kissing. About half an hour Ezra mumbled something about condoms, but Aria shushed him with a kiss, saying that nothing would happen. They were in a hospital, after all. They seemed to forget about this, however, and let their passions take control.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: SO! I didn't think people would really read this, but they did, so I'm going to continue writing this! Please Review! Also if you want to request something, feel free. It makes me happy to write for you all. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: The amount of nothingness I own is SAD. I own this plot, a pair of glasses, and PLL on dvd. So, yeah, PLL is not mine. **

****CHAPTER TWO

Aria paced around her floor. It'd been two weeks since the dog and –A fiasco. She was waiting for Ezra to come get her for her final rabies vaccine. She was glad this ordeal. She wasn't sure what was worse, her parent's hovering, scared she would go rabid at any time, Ezra apologizing all the time which always led to making love in the strangest places – the floor, car, everywhere – and they barely used protection anymore. She pushed that thought away; she was on the pill, so she couldn't possibly get pregnant. She thought another moment and decided that the worst part was telling the girls

**Flashback**

Aria had just been released from the hospital. She sat in her bed, alone, since Ezra had to go to another ghost writer interview. She didn't mind; she was actually happy he was out. He was handling the news about Malcolm pretty well, even taking Malcolm out after school when the girls or Aria's parents were around. Aria knew that she would potentially become a step-mother at 17, but in a way she welcomed the challenge. Ezra brought Malcolm to the hospital on fourth day, and she really liked him. It was a nice peek into the future too, seeing how well Ezra was with kids. Aria smiled, thinking of her someday life.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Hanna barged in the room. Following her at what Aria thought to be a safe distance was Emily and Spencer.

"Okay, the house is empty, so tell us what really happened!" Hanna demanded, flopping in the bed next to Aria.

"Hanna, I told you. I left Ezra's and got attacked by a random dog." Aria said, wincing as Hanna's movement bounced the bed enough to irate the stitches on her legs, "Please, calm down. My stitches can still rip open."

Hanna was silent which was a rare occurrence for her. For a moment Aria thought she was off the hook, for lying to them about –A being behind the attack until Emily piped up, "Aria, we knew –A did it. There was a note left in your pocket with our names on it. Ezra saw it and gave it to us."

"What did the note say?" Aria asked, her eyes wide.

"'Watch out Liars, the Alpha is here. And we just love to give bitches stitches. –A" Spencer read, and then looked at Aria. "So what really happened?"

"Well, I left Ezra's when Maggie showed up with Malcolm. He was really mad at me and we were arguing because he thought I should have told him. I got upset and told him if he needed me, I'd be at home. And I left." She paused, sniffling a bit, until Hanna wrapped an arm gingerly around her. "I didn't drive over there, and I was walking home. I was half way home when I turned a corner and BAM, there's A with a giant dog. I ran away, but I was wearing the heels that wrap and tie and the dog jumped on me and A said something and the dog bit me."

"So… what do we do?" Hanna asked, looking at Spencer. "No offense Aria, I really don't want to take a walk and have some random dog attack me. Rabies is so not attractive."

Spencer rolled her eyes and said, in her "Hasting Commander In Chief" they'd all become accustomed to, "Well, then we don't go out alone at night. And Hanna, you ad Aria shouldn't wear 3 inch heels all the time."

"I told you before Spence, I wear three inches or nothing."

"Well, fine, but we should all avoid going out alone at night in them. And if we have to go out alone at night, please, try to stay on well-lit streets." She looked at Aria and said, "You call me before you go out. You're fragile and I love you. And we're Sparia."

With all the girls agreed on Commander Hastings rules, they left.

**End Flashback**

Aria slowly climbed into the car when Ezra arrived. He must have noticed, because he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but the bites still ache." Aria said, laying her head back on the seat after very carefully fastening her seatbelt.

"Well, they weren't going to get better overnight. The doctor said the dog took a huge amount of skin out. At least this is your last rabies shot," he said, grinning at her when they stopped for a spotlight.

She pouted. She hated when he brought up the fact that the doctors had seen the rabies virus beginning to penetrate her immune system.

Ezra sensed this and said, "Hey, Aria, I'm sorry. I'm glad you don't have rabies. But if you did, you'd be the most beautiful rabid woman ever."

Aria just glared silently at him as they left the car. He went over to take her hand when they saw Mrs. Welsh walking out.

They exchanged a nervous glance and then grasped hands. This was the challenge they constantly faced; judgmental glares and whispered insults. Aria noticed Mrs. Welsh faltered; she and Ezra had been good friends while he was at Rosewood.

Apparently she wanted to continue that friendship, because she came up to Ezra and said hello. They were exchanging pleasant hellos when Aria was drawn back in when Mrs. Welsh.

"I didn't know you and Aria were seeing each other." She said, and Aria saw that she was attempting to be friendly. It warmed her heart that some people at least had some decency about her relationship. Even her parents flinched at Ezra's name; even her mom, who was normally pretty okay with their relationship.

"Well, I was bold, and mighty forces were in my favor," Ezra said, smiling at the thought of the student who'd helped him get back to Aria, "We started dating after I went to teach at Hollis."

This was what they told people, since obviously the truth would lead to Ezra being in a lot of trouble.

Mrs. Welsh smiled, seeming somewhat more comfortable, and said, "Well, I best get on. You two as well, you have an appointment to get to." And with that, she left.

"Well, you ready for this?" Ezra said, "Because unfortunately not everyone is as accepting as Mrs. Welch."

"She's only accepting because of her massive crush on you." Aria giggled, "I saw the way she was looking at you."

Ezra glared at her playfully, "We don't talk about that, remember?"

Aria nodded, "Of course not, but I can't say I blame her. Especially with a body like that." She winked and gave him a chaste kiss.

Ezra pulled her back to him, deciding that wasn't enough, and they were soon sneaking into an unlocked broom closet after a few sneaky glances.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story. Hopefully some of you will review, because my day would be made.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PLL.**

****CHAPTER THREE

After the broom closet, they went into the doctor's office. They were cute and giggly, still riding down the afterglow when the nurse called for her. That was the best part about shot appointments. They were pretty quick.

"Are you ready for this to be over yet?" The nurse smiled as she readied the needle.

"You have no idea," Aria said.

"Well, there's a bit more than a shot today. The doctor wants me to take some blood, make sure you're truly okay."

"That's fine." A quick prick and then it was done. Aria sat for the mandatory time and then she and Ezra went to the waiting room. And of course, sitting in a chair, was Jenna.

"Hello Mr. Fitz," Jenna purred, standing up. "What are you two doing here today?"

She made a pointed look to give Aria her evil smirk and looked pointedly at her belly.

"Ezra and I were just getting me my last rabies shot. You heard that I got attacked, didn't you, Jenna?"

Jenna replied, "Well, it's good that you have such a loving and supportive tea- I mean boyfriend. Bye now." And with a slight huff, Jenna sat back down.

Once they were in the car, Ezra looked at Aria. "I'm sorry that happened."

"Don't be. Jenna's a jerk. Even Ali said so." She said, and then gave him a quick smile. "Are we going back to your apartment, or?" Her phone went off just then, and she topped to check it. The text read:

**You're losing your edge. Must be the rabies. I just hope you didn't forget to use protection. –A**

And attached was a picture of Aria and Ezra "sneaking" into the broom closet. Aria panicked. She and Ezra were alone in that hallway, and they hadn't seen any cameras. Ugh, Aria thought, I hate this bitch.

"Aria? Aria?" She heard Ezra call for her, and suddenly she came back from her thoughts. "Who was that?"

"Just Spence. She wanted to make one last rabies joke." Aria said and smiled, hoping he'd believe her.

"Well, I think he's a bit late," Ezra smiled at her, "So do you want to go back to my place or do you want to hang out with your friends?"

"Well…. I want to talk to you first," Aria said, quickly re-reading the text, fidgeting as she prepared herself for the painful topic, "And it's a serious topic, too, so we need to go to your apartment."

* * *

The rest of the car ride was miserable. Ezra was panicking, wondering what he could have done. He racked his brain, realizing that he hadn't done anything, and that their relationship was really good lately. He was more or less on good terms with Maggie, bonding with Malcolm, and happy with Aria. Still, he was worried about what Aria was so upset about. When they got into the tiny apartment, it took all of Ezra's willpower to let Aria get situated before the talk began.

"So, what's going on, Aria?" He asked, sitting down next to her.

"We haven't been using protection," Aria mumbled. "I don't want to end up like Maggie… Pregnant at 17 with you mom paying me off."

"Aria, we have been using protection. What's really going on? Do you think you're pregnant? Because if you think that, we can buy you a test. " He pulled her close to him before continuing, "I will never let my mother hurt you. Ever. You're the best to ever happen to me, and I promise, I will never leave you." He kissed her forehead, standing up.

"Ezra, what are you doing?" Aria asked, reaching up for his hand.

"I'm going to buy condoms and a pregnancy test." He said, cutting her off as she tried to speak, "I want you to be informed, Aria, and I was you to feel safe. And yeah, I know condoms aren't the best thing to buy when getting a pregnancy test, but we'll probably need them."

Despite her protests, Ezra left the apartment. He refused to let her go with her, and she was grateful. As much as she wanted to be public about her relationship with Ezra, buying condoms together when she was still 17 was a bit too much for her.

Instead she wandered about apartment 3B, playing Happiness on his computer and looking at his books, mostly ragged and classical, they were perfect to her. Atop the shelves sat pictures of them, starting with the one with paper bags, one of her favorites, next to a recent one of them together, in public, smiling at each other on a park bench, just enjoying the sun.

She lingered on these last moments, knowing that if this test wasn't negative, things were about to get a lot more complicated. Her parents were probably going to kill her if she was pregnant. Or have Ezra arrested. She knew already that she and Ezra were going to stay together and keep the baby; neither of them could destroy someone made of their love.

She winced, wishing that the test just came back negative, so she wouldn't have to worry about it. All she wanted was to finish school and go to college, then have a life with Ezra.

She could picture her kids, reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_ before most kids read _Judy Bloom_. Mini- them, with Ezra's eyes and her face. Ezra walked in then and she jumped up, blushing. She felt as if he could read her mind, feel her embarrassment, but just assume it was over taking a pregnancy test.

"So, I got three… I wasn't sure exactly what to buy." He told her nervously, handing the bag to her, "Do you want me to come in with you, or.." He trailed off.

"I don't really want you in there while I'm peeing… So I'll come out when I'm done." She took one last gulp of the SunnyD she'd been drinking and headed to the restroom.

The next few minutes were awful. Ezra sat on the couch alone, head in his hands. His poor Aria was in the bathroom, taking pregnancy tests. He felt terrible; she was too young to go through this stress. If only he hadn't been an idiot and remembered to use protection. It was like Maggie all over again. Only this time, he'd be there. He wasn't going to let anyone keep him from Aria, not her parents, his, Maggie, or Jackie. No one would take her from him.

He heard a scream from the bathroom, and rushed to the door, calling out "Aria!" before opening the door.

She held the test in front of him. A little NEGATIVE was flashing on the screen. He smiled, before looking at the other tests, seeing that they too were negative. Ezra couldn't resist scooping Aria into his arms and kissing her, sitting them on the bed. It wasn't until a moment later that he realized what this meant.

"Aria," he said, gently setting her down, "I don't think we should be intimate anymore."

He looked into her eyes, hoping she understood what he meant.

"Ezra… What? What do you mean?"

He back tracked, quickly explaining, "It's not that I don't want to. I love it; being so close to you is perfect. It's amazing, how you feel and sound. But you're too young to be taking a pregnancy test because your idiot of a boyfriend forgets protection. I know you're on the pill, but it doesn't always work perfectly."

"Are you finished yet?" Aria asked, looking at him, "I know you think I'm too young to be going through this, and I am. But it doesn't mean we can't make love; it just means we have to be careful. You bought condoms, right?" He nodded. "Good. Our chances of getting pregnant are a lot lower if we do both. Plus, don't stop. We love each other. We should be free to make love to each other."

He spoke hesitantly, trying to think of a way to resist, when he realized he didn't want to, "Fine, but I think we should try out this protection thing now, just to be sure," and with a wink, he went to the bag.

They had just finished making love and were sleeping in each other's arms when a text from an unknown number beeped. With sleepy arms, Aria grabbed it, almost dropping the phone as she read the message:

**Oh Aria, you don't need protection when you have me. - A **


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sometimes, I'm not sure if I should continue this story, because I'm not sure how many of you actually like it. But I'll continue anyway, because I can.**

**Disclaimer: PLL isn't mine.**

CHAPTER FOUR

After the text from A, Aria couldn't get back to sleep. She was shaken, and with good reason. A was capable of almost anything, but Aria always thought A would draw the line somewhere.

But to threaten her and Ezra with something like this… It was awful. A child's life could be ruined by A. Aria looked over at Ezra. He was snoozing so peacefully, a smile on his face. He'd giggled once or twice, and said her name.

Aria wasn't sure what the worst part was. Since they had used protection, two forms even, they hadn't been as careful as they usually were. Aria was entirely sure that A wasn't bluffing.

Sighing, she looked at the clock. It was almost 2 AM. She lay back down, trying to get some sleep. Her movement shook the bed, and Ezra turned over, opening his eyes slowly.

"Aria, why are you still awake?" He murmured.

She hesitating, trying to decide what exactly she could say to him. "I had a nightmare… About A."

He reached out and held her, "Aria, Mona can't hurt you. She is locked away. You're safe."

"Ezra, I dreamt she sabotaged our condoms; I know she's locked away, but I'm still scared of her… The things she did to us, all because of Ali. Because we didn't stop Ali from bullying her. What if she did really sabotage our birth control, huh? You didn't exactly pull out."

He looked at her for a moment, before speaking in a measured voice, "Aria, if she really had sabotaged our birth control, and you did get pregnant, then that's that. I would stand by you, no matter what. You and I … we can handle anything, together. I promise you, I will never leave you again." He paused, kissing her briefly. "Now, just lay back down and try to get some sleep. You told the girls you'd be there tomorrow."

"Will you hold me?" Aria asked.

"Always."

* * *

The next morning, Aria woke up to an empty bed. She figured Ezra was probably just out getting breakfast, so she snuggled back into the covers, knowing she should probably get dressed.

Since it was Thanksgiving break, she was trying to absorb all the time she had with Ezra and the girls. So yesterday was rabies shots with Ezra, and today was mani-pedis with the girls. Pretty normal, or about as normal as her life got, with A around.

She knew she had to tell the girls, but she was hesitant. She wasn't exactly positive A did it. He/she/it may be crazy, but maybe threatening a child's life was too extreme. She decided to wait a few weeks, and take a pregnancy test if she had any symptoms.

But for now, she realized she probably should start getting ready. Ezra was taking forever to get back from running to get breakfast; she wasn't really that surprised. He probably went the Brew and she knew the lines were always long, especially since he was so polite and let everyone order before him. Even if he knew he had a starving girlfriend at home.

Home. She'd been calling the apartment that more and more, recently. It felt right. Since the dog attack, Byron had let her stay there whenever. When she was recovering from the attack, Ezra had spent almost off of his free time taking care of her. He didn't even grimace at her scars, which covered her torso and legs. But not her face. A had let her keep her face untouched. And while the bites were deep, the doctors had done a good job on the stitching, leaving her with faint scars. Ezra wasn't even disgusted by them; he hated that it happened to her, but he still told her, very earnestly, that she was beautiful, scars and all.

When Byron saw the love Ezra had for Aria, and he seemed to become more accepting, even going as far as to let Ezra stay the night on the floor next to her bed the first night she came home, because Aria looked ready to go home with Ezra, her father be damned.

Aria reluctantly dragged herself out of bed, walking over to the section of the closet where her clothes were kept. She scanned them briefly; lately all she had been wearing was sweats. She wanted to dress up today, as she usually did. She wished she could spend the day with Ezra, but she had promised the girls.

She pulled out a pretty simple outfit, by her standards. A pair of black skinny jeans, with a white shirt skulls patter across it. Not too dressed up, but better than the ratty sweats she'd been wearing.

She walked to the bathroom, her clothes in hand. Looking in the mirror, she saw that she definitely needed a shower. Her hair looked like a sassy mop after a tornado. She hopped in, letting the hot water soothe her, letting it take away her worries for the time being. Today was 1

By the time she got out, Ezra was back. He was sitting on the couch, eating a bagel, a book in his hand. She plopped down next to him, and he looked up.

"Sorry it took so long the li-," he began, but she cut him off with a kiss.

"The line was long, because you let everyone go in front of you, I already know. It's because you're too sweet." She said, picking up her cup of coffee and taking a sip. "But, I love you anyway."

For a few minutes they sat there in silence, just chewing on their food. Ezra hadn't even bothered to turn the TV on, though she knew since it was the day before Thanksgiving, there had to be some good cartoons on.

She didn't mind; these moments of silence weren't awkward. Just relaxing. Instead of turning it on and ruining the moment, she snuggled u next to him, still sipping her coffee, with a bagel in one hand. She peeked over at the book in his hands, trying to see what he was reading.

He noticed and couldn't help but smile. He shut the book over his thumb, letting her see the cover. It was titled, _When She Woke_. Aria had never heard of it, so she nudged it, asking what it was about.

"It's a modern day Scarlett Letter. Last time I saw Mrs. Welch, she pretty much shoved it in my hands and told me I had to read it. Not my usual thing, but I like it."

"Well, I'm glad. About time you read something modern," she said, then stood up, "As much as I would love to sit here and read it with you, I have to go to Hanna's. It's almost 10."

He gave a small pout, and then stood up to walk her to the door. "Well, have fun. I'll see you Friday, I guess."

"No, I thought you were coming over tomorrow," she said, looking quizzically at him.

"I know you invited me, but don't you think dinner with your parents is going to be weird? Especially with them having just gotten divorced and all." He said.

"That's why I need you there. Them insisting on celebrating as a "family" is going to be awful. Just me and Mike, with the Montgomery family, will be awkward. They love my mom, but it's still going to be weird. So I need you there, as a buffer. Take the stress of the divorce and onto our relationship."

"Aria, do you remember how our relationship began? I was your teacher… How is that better than a divorce?"

"Whatever, it'll split the awkwardness, and that's better than nothing. So I will see you tomorrow, at my house, at noon. I love you, bye." And with one last peck, she was gone.

Ezra sighed, and went back to the couch. He set his book aside and turned on the TV, hoping to find some good cartoons.

* * *

When Aria got to Hanna's, she almost gasped. She knew Hanna was the Queen of Beauty Products, but this was just overwhelming. Scattered about the living room were four mini-feet spas, as well as a variety of nail polishes and lotions. Hanna out did herself, again.

"Aria, you're finally here. Spencer just said she's going to be late… Apparently she had to do homework. I told her she should skip it, but no! She's crazy."

"Where's Emily?" Aria asked.

"She was up early and got here by 9. She went to be early, unlike someone who was busy having a sexy sleep over with Fitzy!" Hanna winked.

Aria's face fell. She felt the sudden urge to tell Hanna everything, but she didn't want to spoil the day.

Hanna noticed and wasn't going to let it go. As she turned to go back upstairs, she looked back and said, "When Spence gets here, you're telling us what happened last night. No secrets, remember?"

Aria rolled her eyes, "Fine, but not until Spence gets here."

By the time Spencer got there, it was almost 11. Hanna was furious, but she was more curious to know what was wrong with Aria. She practically pounced on her the second they all sat down for the foot spas.

"Now, spill. We want to know what happened."

Aria sighed. All she wanted to do was forget about it. Instead, she opened her messages and showed them to the girls.

Once they had all read them, and Aria saved her phone from being dropped into the spa by Hanna, who gasped so loud she swore it broke her eardrums, the incessant talking began.

"You two were having unprotected sex! Aria! That's dangerous." Of course that was Emily, looking more worried about Aria than about A.

"I can't believe A would stoop that low… First with the attack, and now with a baby." Hanna said, "This is a lot worse than me getting hit by that car."

"And don't forget, A locked Aria in a box with a dead body," Spencer said, and then continued, "Let's assume this is true. A set you up to get pregnant. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Aria sighed, snuggling deeper into her chair, "I don't even want to think about it. I just want to be a lie. Maybe A didn't really go through with it. Can we just not talk about A? He/she/it can wait. Today's about us."

Spencer, Hanna, and Emily just stared. They all knew the same truth that Aria did, that A never gave empty threats, but at the same time, Aria didn't need the excess stress. They all nodded.

"So, did you guys hear about Justin Bieber?" Hanna said, quickly diverting the attention to the most random topic she could think of.

Once they'd all grown tired of the Biebs, Hanna began to talk about Caleb, once again oversharing on their overactive sex life.

Emily rolled her eyes, and began to overshare back, about her and Paige, thinking it would shut her up.

It did the opposite, encouraging Hanna to ask more questions. When Ms. Marin finally came home, the non-stop questions stopped. And when the time to leave finally came, Aria was sad. Today had been almost perfect. Like a normal day. A had only been the center of attention for an hour.

* * *

Spencer insisted on driving her home, since Aria's car was at home. She even walked her to the door. It was obvious how worried Spencer was for her. For them all, really. She had insisted on walking Emily to her car too. Aria understood what a scare this had been for her, who was freaking out over this new A. Spencer always wanted the answers, and she panicked when she didn't have them. It was sweet, like having an annoyingly overprotective big sister bodyguard. Aria, Emily, and Hanna worried about Spencer too; but they knew Toby would never let anything hurt her. They were perfect for each other, Spencer and Toby. She giggled as she walked into her bedroom, trying to think of a couple name for them…

"Tocner.. No… Spency.. No… I got it, Spoby!" She said, and then fell onto her bed, laughing. For the next hour, she lay there, thinking of all her couple names for her friends… Paige and Emily were Paily, Hanna and Caleb were Haleb, and she and Ezra were Ezria.

It was so uncharacteristic for her to be this happy, she didn't even care about why. It was nice being normal again. When her phone went off, just seconds after her laughing fest was over, she was hesitant to grab it. She worried it was A. But on the off chance it was Ezra, she reached over and grabbed it. She was pleasantly surprised when the text was indeed from him, and smiled at what he said:

**Just about to go to bed. I'll need all my strength for tomorrow. I love you, Aria. I'll see you tomorrow. Godnight. Xoxo Ezra**

She replied back with a,

**Good night. Don't worry, you'll get a reward for this. I love you, too. Goodnight. Xoxo, Aria**

She looked over at her clock, and decided that 11:30 wasn't too early to go to bed, and snuggled down into her bed, with dreams of Ezra to keep her company.

**AN: Sorry this chapter is so fluffy, but I think you'll be grateful when you see what's coming next chapter! ;) Review, and make my day!**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER****: I own nothing.**

CHAPTER FIVE

Waking up the next morning was hard. Ezra looked over at his clock. As much as he didn't want to go, he knew he had to do it. He was going to marry Aria someday; he better get used to family events, where he'd probably get dirty looks and stares. Whispered conversations about how they met.

He pushed those thoughts away as he left the bed. He would deal with it, if it meant he got to be with Aria, and Ezra would never take her from her family. He'd taken enough from her. Besides, he dealt with his family for years.

Walking to the closet, he couldn't help but stop and smile at the bed. Even though Aria hadn't slept there last night, a tiny Aria shape had made a small dent in the bed. He giggled a bit, a manly giggle, and grabbed his clothes, headed towards the shower.

Aria stood in front of closet, almost growling with frustration. She couldn't figure out what to wear. She didn't want to look too revealing; she knew that she and Ezra would be the subject of all kinds of gossip today. Aunts, uncles, cousins would be glaring at her. Thus the problem with her outfit; she didn't want to look too crazy, looking like a child, who was being taken advantage of, or too revealing, looking like the bad girl they thought she was. She hung her head in frustration; she spent all of her time in the shower thinking of the perfect outfit, and she still couldn't find it.

Aria flipped through her clothes again, hoping to find something, when she saw it. It was a dress Spencer gat her, when Spencer outgrew it freshman year. A simple black-and-white polka dot dress, with a high scoop neck, form fitting torso, and a tulle filled bottom, that went to her knees. Perfect.

She changed into it quickly, and ran down the stairs. Aria went immediately to the kitchen, knowing she would be needed to make her special pumpkin pie. Not really special, but they said that to make Aria feel better; she wasn't exactly the best cook around.

"Hey there," Ella said as Aria walked in. "Best get started on your pie, or Mike will have to do it."

Mike glared at Aria, "Please make the pie. You know how awful mine tastes. Remember Thanksgiving '05? Where I almost burned the house down trying to help you?"

"I do, actually, and that's why your only job is to prep the vegetables now." Aria paused a moment, "Although, you're looking a bit shaky with the knife, are you sure you don't need help?"

Mike tossed a green bean at her, and she ducked, going over the cabinet to get her pie supplies. It was like they were a family again. Her dad was probably still getting dressed, and would be down any minute to ready the table.

Only they weren't really a family. Her mother and father still looked were transitioning from being married to divorced. Sometimes she caught her father staring at her mother, and she wasn't sure if he was angry or sad. Her parents decided, however, that doing two Thanksgivings may stress Mike and Aria out, and they were still friends, so one Thanksgiving wasn't bad idea.

She couldn't wait to see what her grandma would say. She was actually a pleasant woman, unless she thought something was scandalous or embarrassing. Aria, Byron, and Ella had always been on her good side; when Mike broke into that house, the 4th of July party was embarrassing for him.

Aria knew today was going to be terrible; her parent's divorce, Ezra coming. She felt bad, but she needed him. As much as they had gone through, he was always her rock, and she would rather get the gossip out now, rather than at her wedding.

Her wedding. She and Ezra hadn't talked much about marriage, but she knew they would. They were made for each other. She knew that he was anxious for them to get married and move out of Rosewood; he was of the stares and whispers. They'd talked about it, and she had told him that she was going to Hollis, since her dad working there gave her cheap tuition, and try to see if she could go to the satellite school in Louisiana. Aria didn't care where they ended up, as long as it was away from Ali, A, and her parents. Although, the idea of them moving to a cute apartment in New York, working as writes was pretty tempting.

Byron came down the stairs just then, and Aria made room for him along the counter. For a little bit, he was silent, until he said, "Aria, make sure you put a sweater on. There'll be enough stares today," and walked away to prep the table.

Ella looked over at Aria, saying, "I hate to agree with your Father, but you probably should. You know your grandma gets."

Aria rolled her eyes; she did know. "Let me put these pies in the over," and then she darted up the stairs, finding as conservative cardigan, a white one that was loose and only had three at the top, before heading back down.

When she got there, he mother had just finished putting the turkey in, and they were heating up the green beans and mashed potatoes. Everything was almost set. People would be here in about half an hour. Her phone went off, a text from Ezra, saying he'd be there in 15 minutes. She smiled as Ella passed her, giving her arm a small squeeze.

Mike came up to her and hugged her. It took Aria a moment to figure out what was going on when he spoke up, saying, "I know how hard it is to deal with Grandma. But you'll make it through it. I did."

About 15 minutes late, Ezra walked to the door, carrying a bottle of scoth and flowers. Aria smiled, thinking of the awkward dinner when he'd brought those same items. She answered the door, and he handed the flowers to her, also kissing her cheek.

"For you, and your mother," he smiled, "and this is for your father. Where is he?"

Aria had to smile; say what you want about their relationship, but Ezra was nothing if not charming. "He's in the dining room, getting the table ready. How about you give that to him, and I go get some water for these flowers?"

"Aria, he hates me. I'm telling you, he may seem like he's doing better dealing with us, but he's not. He hates me."

Aria rolled her eyes and walked away, leaving Ezra on his own.

For a moment, Ezra just stood there. He couldn't believe Aria actually left him standing there, utterly defenseless. But that was the point, he realized. He squared his shoulders, and went to find Byron.

Aria walked into the kitchen, and smiled at her mom.

"Did Ezra bring those?" she smiled.

Aria nodded, and asked, "Yeah, where should I put them?"

"Put them in the center of the table; they're very beautiful. Very seasonal." They were indeed; beautiful yellows and red went together, creating an eye catching arrangement.

Aria nodded, and she headed towards the dining room, where an interesting scene was unfolding.

Ezra stood there. Holding the bottle of scotch in his hands, he was slowly backing away from Byron, who looked like he was about to scream.

"You bring alcohol into my house! You are dating my teenage daughter! Do you think it's appropriate to bring alcohol to me? Have you been drinking around her?" Byron screamed. "How dare you! I let you stay with her, after you make her leave, which leads to a wild dog attacking her, and now you come into my house and pretty much flaunt the fact that you drink with her around!" With that, he grabbed the scotch and threw to the floor, glass and amber liquid covering the floor.

Mike, who was standing by the door, opening it for the first guests, rushed to Byron before he could hit Ezra. Ella and Mike dragged him away, and Aria and Ezra stood there, until a small ahem came from the dining room door. Aria turned, and instantly froze.

Before her stood her grandma. Standing at five foot exactly, and weighing less than 100 pounds soaking wet. She was standing completely still, staring at Aria and Ezra in turn. When she finally spoke, it was in her normal clipped words, only with a disapproving undertone, "I'll assume the divorce wasn't the reason for that, Aria," she looked at Ezra with a hard glare, "I would venture to say that you are, however. Normally I'd apologize for his actions, but I've heard all about you, and from what I understand, you deserved that. You're just lucky he didn't hit your face." With that, she turned on her heel, but not before pausing to turn around and said, "You better clean that up."

For a moment, Ezra looked at her, before bending over, frantically picking up the shattered glass.

Mechanically, Aria went to the kitchen, getting a bag and towel to help Ezra clean. The moment was on replay in her mind. She knew today was going to bad, but she never thought it would come to this. Ezra was trying to b polite, and her dad flew off the handle.

She went back into the dining room, still trying to process what happened. Once she and Ezra had finished cleaning up, they both stammered over each other, trying to apologize. Finally Aria paused, holding out her hands to Ezra, a clear indicator that she needed to speak.

"Ezra, I am so sorry… I had no idea this would happen. I never thought it would be that bad. I am so, so incredibly sorry." He looked at her, clearly about to say it was his fault, but Aria cut him off. "It is not your fault. My father knew you were just trying to be nice, and he made the choice to do that. Not you."

Ezra let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and reached out to hug her. "The thing with your dad was awful, but was that your grandma?" When Aria nodded, he said, "She's scarier than him. Look, Aria, I love you, but I've caused enough problems today. I'm just going to leave, okay?"

She glared at him, and said, "If you're leaving, I'm coming with you. And don't argue with me, because if they don't want to deal with us being together, then they don't have my best interests at heart. You have done nothing but good to me. I wanted this relationship, Ezra; you didn't make me do anything. They're wrong, and I'm not going to force myself to be around people who only want to judge me for who I love." Ezra seemed to realize he wasn't going to win, so he pulled her into a deep hug, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

They stood like that for several long moments, until Ella walked in. She looked tired; sadness covered her features. "I think it'd be best if Ezra left," Aria began to protest, but she silenced her with a look, "Aria, you should go with him. This is going to get ugly. I'm taking Mike home with me now, and I told your dad you're going to Ezra's. He said that may be for the best; I'll call you tonight and explain why, okay, honey." She gave a brief smile, before touching Ezra's arm, and saying, "I don't approve of what Byron just did. I think you do love Aria. That's why I'm letting her stay with you." She hugged Aria tight, like it was the last time she'd ever see her. "Aria, I will always love you," And she left the room.

Ezra and Aria nodded, and they went upstairs before she changed her mind. They packed as many things as possible, and then ran out to Ezra's Camry.

* * *

The drive home was awkward, to say the least. Aria had begun to sob, shaking in the passenger seat. Ezra processed everything the best he could, coming to only one solution as to why Byron would be okay with Aria moving to his house, when it hit him. He disowned her. Ezra gritted his teeth, angry. He had to explain it to Aria, as soon as he could. He knew how it felt, and he knew already not to argue with her. Nothing he would say would change her mind. For once he wished it would. Leaving your family at such an early age was hard. At least she still had Ella. Ella, despite her disapproval, had always tried to make the best of things. He needed to send her an Anonymous muffin basket someday.

When they got to the apartment, he all but carried her, and all of her bags, up the stairs. They got inside, and he gently convinced her to undress and change into comfy sweats. Aria, seeming to come back to him, moved to sit on the couch while he made some tea for her.

"Ezra," she spoke softly, "Did.. do you think he.. disowned me?" She looked at him, with big, pleading eyes that told him to lie; but he knew he couldn't.

For a minute Ezra wished he could tell Aria everything she wanted to hear and then some, but he couldn't do that to her. "I think he's going to. Maybe he'll change his mind. It's complicated legal process, especially since you're still a minor. Just give him a few days, I bet he'll realize what he's doing is wrong. And remember, you always have your mom."

"And you, she murmured, cuddling into his chest.

She smiled, and he wiped her tears, giving her a small kiss on the lips before saying, "You will always have me."

They sat there on the couch, just being together. Eventually Ezra turned on the TV and they watched a few Thanksgiving cartoons, until a knock at the door interrupted them, at around 3:30.

Ezra walked over to the door, and smiled at what he saw. Maggie and Malcolm stood there, with turkey masks on.

"Hey, Ezra, sorry to just drop by, I know you said Aria's family was having Thanksgiving today, but Malcolm insisted on seeing you, since, you know, this is your guys' first Thanksgiving. We brought food, too, since we're party crashes." She snuck through his arm, and say Aria on the couch, in ratty sweats with a tear stained face.

Malcolm noticed it, too, and ran to her, jumping on the couch and hugging her, "Why are you sad, Aria?"

She couldn't help but smile; Malcolm was the sweetest kid. Aria hoped all of her and Ezra's children turned out like this. "Today was just a no good, rotten day is all. But now that you're here, it's all better." She kissed his forehead and snuggled into the couch with him.

At the door, Ezra and Maggie stood hesitantly, until Maggie asked, softly, so Malcolm nd Aria couldn't hear, "What happened?"

"Aria's dad lost his mind, pretty much, and he kicked her out. Her mom's trying to work it out, I think, so she's stayin here for the time being."

"Do you think he disowned her?" Maggie asked, her eyes wide with concern; she understood what it was like, to be rejected by your own family.

"I think he wanted to, but Ella will probably convince him not to. He just needs to cool off." Ezra said, reaching up to run a hand through his hair.

"We can leave, if you'd like," Maggie said, "And we'll even leave the food."

"I think that would be best. I'm sorry, now's just not a good time."

"Not, I completely understand." Maggie called to Malcolm, "Hey bud, we're going to leave, okay? Ezra isn't feeling too well."

Malcolm made a pouty face, and tried to cuddle Aria harder, but when Maggie called his name, he went to her. "Bye Aria bye Ezra…" He said, and with that, they were gone.

"Why couldn't they stay?" Aria asked, "I like having Malcolm around. He's a sweetheart."

"As true as that may be, I just want to be alone with you right now. Is that okay?" He sat back down on the couch, and pulled Aria close to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ezra." Her phone went off; a text from her mother. It read:

**He seems to be cooling off pretty fast, but I don't want you going back over there till Monday, at the earliest. And even then, be wary. I'm going to get another bed for you, in case you decide to come here. I love you, Mom**

Aria grimaced. "I guess I'll have to go there Monday."

"Why, Ezra asked, pulling away just enough so he could see her face.

"I don't want to burden you with my problems. You've got to think of Malcolm now too, not just me."

"Aria, I can do both. And it'll be a 'bigger burden' if I think you're not safe." He stood up, mumbling something about needed to pee, and left.

As soon as the door was closed, Aria texted Hanna, Spencer, and Emily, telling them what happened.

Almost immediately, Hanna replied, saying that when she came back from California, Aria could stay with her; Spencer said that her door was always open for her too, and Emily said the same. Ezra came back by the time her phone went off with another text. Seeing it was from a blocked number, she scampered to the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't notice. She did not want him to find out about A. Especially not now.

**Sorry, Aria, I had to let Daddy know you're expecting, -A**

And attached to it was a picture of her blood sample, which indeed said she was pregnant. Aria had barely made it to the bed when she fainted.

**AN: The moment you've all been waiting for! Hahah, thanks for all the reviews. I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit boring, but I REALLY wanted to make an angry Montgomery Thanksgiving. Hope you all enjoyed. I tried not to make it OOC, so please, if I am, feel free to tell me what I can do to make that better. Much love, Emily**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Aria awoke several minutes later to Ezra, leaning intently over her, calling her name. She tried to sit up, but Ezra's hand gently kept her pinned to the bed.

"Aria, I don't think you should sit up just yet. You fainted," He said, concern evident in his voice.

She nodded in agreement, and he helped her to scoot up to the pillows, and she said, "It must be the stress. I just want to cuddle and go to sleep. Can we do that?"

Instead of speaking, Ezra cuddled next to her on the bed, and they closed their eyes, sleep soon overtaking them.

The next morning, Aria woke up to Ezra typing on his computer. He seemed completely absorbed in what he was doing, so she just lay there, watching him. He was beautiful. Morning sun shone on him, giving him a soft glow. His eyes were focused; squinting at the screen, making sure every letter he typed was perfect. It felt nice for her to just watch him and pretend everything was perfect. That they were a normal couple, that he hadn't disowned his family when they send away his pregnant girlfriend; that she hadn't gotten kicked out of her house; that she wasn't pregnant.

Aria thought about that text. She knew she had to call her doctor today; she'd read on the boxes that the tests weren't 100% accurate, but she hoped that was only for false positives. She closed her eyes; after all these threats, she knew A was serious. He/she/it had made sure Aria was pregnant. Threatening not only Aria's and Ezra's life, but also that of an unborn child.

Aria sighed, looking at her perfect man, wishing she had a normal life. When he looked over at her, he leaned back in his chair, smiling at her, and beckoned her over.

"No, I have gross morning breath," she whined, sticking her head under the covers, which only encouraged him to come over and climb under the covers with her. He tickled her mercilessly until she gave in and kissed him, gross breath and all. Just looking at him made Aria realize that she didn't care about how crazy her life was. She had Ezra, and they'd make it through everything.

He crinkled his nose at her, smiling a bit, "You do have morning breathe... And I have morning work." He went back to his computer, and she went to the bathroom.

She turned the shower on and knew she had to focus on how to do things today. She had to call her doctor and find out those blood test results. Though unlikely, A could have faked them. Once she knew, she needed to tell Ezra and the girls. Aria knew she had to tell Ezra first; he'd feel betrayed if she didn't. Then she needed to talk to her mom. And then… too much. By the time she got out of the shower, her mind was still spinning.

She hurriedly got dressed; she realized she needed to see the results in person. And she was taking Ezra. She'd tell him she was just worried that she had actually developed rabies, and if she was pregnant, they could find out together. In the past, she had always told him last, but this was too much for her. She needed him.

"Ezra, can we go to my doctor's? I want to see the results of my rabies test." She said, putting on her shoes.

"Aria, you don't have rabies. I promise you." He said, looking at her curiously.

"Well yeah, but… I just want to make sure." Aria stuttered nervously.

"What's this really about, Aria? You had enough shots to get rid of rabies, which you never even had."

"My period's late. I know I took the pregnancy tests, and they were negative, but I read on the box that false negatives happen, if you don't do it right or take it too early. I just want to find out if I am or not."

He didn't argue; he sighed, but he took her hand and led her outside.

The car ride was awkward. Ezra kept trying to reassure her that she wasn't pregnant, but she wouldn't listen. She was too scared. He seemed to realize this and stopped talking, instead just holding her hand, rubbing his thumb over hers. It seemed to calm her down, so he kept doing it.

When they got inside to the doctor's office, the waiting room was empty. It wasn't surprising, since it was "Black Friday" – which meant everybody and anybody was out fighting over the "great sales" going on. Aria went up to the counter, quickly explaining why they were there. The receptionist nodded, daring to look at Ezra, disapproval evident in her eyes. Aria rolled her eyes. Of course the receptionist knew. Everyone in Rosewood knew that Aria Montgomery was dating her former English teacher. And now they'd know she was pregnant too.

Despite the disapproving looks, Aria and Ezra were soon taken in to see her doctor. Luckily, the good doctor seemed more interested with Aria's health than her scandal, so they got right down to business.

"Well, Aria, the blood we drew was supposed to be to check to make sure you were totally rabies-free, but it looks like a pregnancy test was ordered as well. Probably a mistake, but luckily we caught it early. You are indeed pregnant."

"How? I took a home pregnancy test, but it said negative. And I haven't missed a pill!" Aria moaned. Ezra, who looked about ready to faint, reached up and grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"You were on some pretty intense antibiotics, which can make the pill ineffective. And about the false negative, you're very early on in your pregnancy. A urine test isn't sensitive enough to pick up the hormones, but a blood test it. According to this test, you're only three weeks along." A pause. The doctor shuffled her feet, seeming to be weighting her words, and finally spoke, "Aria, it's very good you found out this early. I'm not saying this as a biased, hateful townsperson, but as your doctors. Do you want to discuss your options?"

Aria and Ezra exchanged a glance. The look they shared said it all. There was no other option, and when Aria spoke, her voice rang clear, "We're keeping the baby."

Dr. Apler looked shocked for the tiniest second, but soon recovered her professionalism. "Of course. Well, you're young, but you just recovered from a serious attack, so I'm going to start you on some vitamins. And you need to discontinue your pill, naturally." Another pause. "Aria, you're under 18, but I am still required to keep this confidential. However, I encourage you to tell you parents soon, especially since you'll need to visit an OB/GYN eventually."

Aria nodded, "Yes. Is that all for now?"

The doctor nodded, "I'm not going to give you a prescription, since it'll show on your insurance, but you can buy these vitamins OTC. Please, tell your parents. Sooner, rather than later." And then she left.

Aria stared at Ezra; he was so quiet the entire appointment that she was scared he was comatose. She tugged on his arm, and he stood up. Okay, maybe he was just in shock. He was just following her along, completely in shock. She reached out her hand and he obediently handed her the keys. She lead him to the car, and drove him home.

Once they got inside the apartment, Aria had enough of him being a mute. She wasn't quite sure how to snap him out of this, so she tried to think back to all the movies she'd seen. Whenever someone was in shock, they slapped the person, and the person woke up. Or was that hysterics? Aria wasn't sure. She didn't really care; she needed to talk to Ezra and she had to try.

So she slapped him, and he startled. He reached up to stroke his cheek. "Ow!" He exclaimed, "You hit me!"

"You were in shock, and I really need you."

His face softened, "I'm sorry, Aria.. It's just, this is like Maggie all over. I feel awful." He looked up, and then remembered that they'd had this talk before, "But, I guess we have to make the best of things, don't we?"

Aria looked at him; she was in shock, but she realized that she had to take him at his word; they'd just have to push through it, like they did everything. "We have sometimes to disc—" Aria said, just as her phone went off. Reaching into her purse, she saw it was her dad calling her.

"Aria" he began stiffly as soon as she answered, "I received a letter yesterday. Inside was a letter from your doctor, which said you were pregnant. Is this true?"

Aria bit her lip; she whispered, in as small a voice possible, "Yes."

He was silent for several long minutes. When he finally spoke, it was in a short, clipped tone, "I'm very disappointed in you, Aria. As is your mother. However, she and I are going to be generous and give you the chance to redeem yourself. Be here at 6:30 PM for dinner, and we'll see if something can be worked out. That's all. Goodbye."

Aria looked at Ezra. "Did you hear that?" She asked, eyes widening with shock. Her dad was going to be reasonable? Unless… Unless he was suggesting she get an abortion… She shook her head, knowing that no matter what she had to do, she was keeping this baby.

After many long hours of pacing, it was time for them to go. Ezra was trying to stay calm, be strong for Aria, but it was hard. He wanted a family with Aria, but not now. He'd just found Malcolm, and now he was going to be a father again. It felt like too much.

He sighed, stopping at a red light. Aria caught him and stared, as if trying to read his mind. She looked frightened, he noted.

"I'm sorry, babe, this is just a lot to take it. But I'm by your side. No matter what. You know that, right?"

She nodded, "I know. This is too much, too soon. But what else are we going to do?"

"I know. I can't help but blame myself, you know."

"Ezra, you're too hard on yourself. It takes two to tango, you know that. We were both irresponsible, but we have to make the best of a bad situation." She said, her voicing slowly rising as Ezra parked.

"Aria! I've done this to two people now! You and Maggie! I'm not good. I hurt and I destroy the lives of teenage girls. This is my fault!"

Aria gapped at him in shock. Without thinks, she slapped him. Again. "Ezra, it doen' matter whose fault this is! What matters is the child in my stomach and that we give it the best life possible.: She glowered at him, "And it is not only your fault. It's not like you have magical sperm or something."

The fumed at each other for several long moments, until they saw Ella looking out from the porch. Resigned, Ezra said, "I guess you're right. And we should be unified, if we have to deal with your parents."

Aria nodded, and they clasped hands and made their way to the front door together.

Once inside, Ella wrapped Aria in a warm hug. "This isn't going to be easy, Aria. This is a serious situation, and your father's furious."

"Well, how do you feel?" Aria asked, already knowing the snswer.

"I'm not happy about it. You don't expect me to be, do you?" Aria and Ezra shook their heads vigorously. "But I understand that an innocent child is now involved, and I just want to do what's best for everyone involved."

Ezra looked at her, eyes full of gratitude. "Ella, uh, Mrs. Montgomery, I'm so sorry. This is my fault… If you and By—I mean Mr. Montgomery …"

She stopped him, from whatever long Ezra-style stupid ramble he was going to do and said, "Byron and I already agreed that you have the right to be involved. You're welcome." She gave him a tight smile, and then ushered them into the living room, where Byron was sitting in the armchair, looking extra constipated.

They all sat down, Ezra and Aria on the couch, and Ella next to Byron, who began to speak when they were seated. "You know why you're here. I can't begin to describe how disappointed and upset I am. I let you two be together, and you go and get knocked up." He stabbed his finger in the general discussion, and stood in front of them. "However, what's done is done. I know you won't get an abortion, and I won't let you. That's too easy. You are going to carry this baby to term, and then give it up for adoption."

Aria and Ella both gasped at him, and Ezra sat motionless. After several long moments, surprising everyone in the room, Ezra spoke. "We are not giving this baby up for adoption. This baby is mine and Aria's. Yes, we made a mistake. But I'm not 'taking the easy way out' of anything. I have already told you that I am not the kind of man you think I am. I will not give up another child. Absolutely not."

Byron stood silent, until he realized exactly what Ezra said. "You have another child?" It was in a low, dangerous voice.

In an equally dangerous voice, Ezra stated, "Yes. But the girl was sent away by my mother and I only recently found out about the baby. Is that a problem?"

Ella jumped up, trying to calm the waters, "It's just surprising, that's all. Right Byron?"

She stared at him until he finally nodded. "You want to keep the baby too, Aria?"

Aria nodded, still in shock. "Yeah. I mean, I know I'm barely pregnant, but I just… I don't think I could give up my baby."

Ella's eyes softened. "I understand, baby. I was the same way. What are we going to do, though? Babies cost a lot of money." Having successfully calmed them down, discussion began.

By the time everyone left, it was decided that Aria was to get a job and stay with Ella, at least for the time being. Aria was grateful. She knew that it was calm now, but it wouldn't stay like that for long.

**AN: This chapter is not my best, I'm sorry. :/ There was a lot of really boring stuff that needed to happen, but the next chapter is going to be better. Also, I REALLY had some Ezra anger (prolli from the promos for 3x17), so he got a little angsty and pimp slapped. Whoops. As always, please review! Love, Emily. **


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.**

A month had passed since Aria moved in with her mom. Living with Ella was great.

She brought Aria saltines when Aria was bent over the toilet every morning, and then Ella took a shower while Aria fixed her breakfast. After Aria's shower, they drove to school together. After school Ella dropped Aria off at work, and Ezra picked her up, came over and they all ate dinner. Nice and boring.

Aria was in the middle of her morning breakfast preparation, when Ella came in, holding two top. She looked flustered. "Which should I wear?"

Aria looked at her options; one was a cute purple top, form fitting, but with a high neck. The other was a plethora of colors, very sexy. For a moment Aria was confused. "Ummm, where are you going? It's Monday."

Ella blushed, "Well, Zach and I decided to play hooky today and go out."

Aria's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you! My mother is skipping school for a date!"

"Yeah yeah. But things are hard, with you know, the baby and the monotonous life, I just need a break."

Aria chuckled and pointed to the sexy top. "Wear that. Shows off the top a bit more" Aria winked and turned around. She just realized something and said, "Wait, mom I have a doctor's appointment today. Weren't you going to come?" Aria needed her. Ezra had meetings with the man he was ghost writing for, and her dad had kept her car.

"Well, I was, but I guess you can take my car." She said, coming back into the room, "But we should probably get you one of your own. You're going to need it when the baby comes."

"Yeah, but we don't exactly have the money for that, do we?" Aria said, rolling her eyes at her mom as she set her food down on the table.

"No, I guess we don't. But it must be driving you crazy. You have a lot of places to go."

Aria sighed, "Yes, it is driving me crazy. Maybe I can buy my car from dad. He's not giving it to Mike, is he?"

"No. I'll talk to your dad about it."

Aria was just grabbing her bag when her mom said, "Here are my keys. Drive safe."

Aria had just pulled into the parking lot when he phone buzzed. Hoping it was Ezra, she grabbed it as she walked toward the building. Unfortunately, it was a blocked ID. A. Or course. Wasn't ruining Aria's and Ezra's and a baby's enough? Sighing, she opened the text,

**How are your boobies? – A**

Aria angrily closed the message. Every few days, A texted her something relating to her pregnancy. Aria wasn't sure exactly what the point was; A only things like, "Tired yet" or "Gotta pee?" Nothing threatening. Aria hadn't told the girls about the pregnancy or A's text yet, but she knew she needed to.

Eventually, A was going to leak the secret. Aria winced, just thinking about it. She wanted to tell her friends in her own way. School was another problem that she didn't even want to think about yet.

Barely arriving to class on time, Aria rushed into her seat. She looked over at Spencer, who seemed confused. Spencer nodded towards the sub, and Aria understood her meaning. "It's a long story, I'll tell you after class."

As promised, when they stood around Emily's locker, Aria told them about her mom skipping school.

Hanna, of course, was playfully sexual, saying, "Ow, ow! Way to go Hot Momma!" Spencer rolled her eyes at her, and they all giggled.

By the time lunch rolled around, Aria was impatient to get out. She just wanted to go to the doctor and find out her baby was alright. Even though she knew she couln't see the baby yet, she still could see if he/she (she really did not want to call her precious baby 'it') was healthy.

Still, she could definitely feel the baby. A wasn't wrong; her "boobies" did hurt. Not thinking, she reached a hand down to adjust her bra. She'd just finished her task when she heard a cat call. It was Noel, mimicking her from across the courtyard to a giggling Jenna.

Normally Aria could handle that. But today wasn't a normal day. She was upset, and she couldn't handle it anymore. She grabbed her stuff, and walked over there. "Hey Noel," she said, standing dangerously in front of him, "Instead of looking at my chest, why don't you stare at Jenna's?" And then, channeling her inner Ali, she said, "Oh, that's right, because she doesn't have anything to stare at." And with that, she turned on her heel and went inside, leaving everyone in the courtyard staring in wonder.

After three more classes, Aria left for her doctor's appointment. She was nervous; this was her first official appointment… Although at this time, most women were just finding out they were expecting. It didn't matter. She was glad to know sooner than later.

What she was worried about was going alone. In the waiting room, she'd have to deal with all the women staring at her, judging her extra hard if they knew who the baby daddy was. Even though Ezra being there would encourage glares and whispers, she needed him.

She arrived in the waiting room just as it seemed to reach its peak. Pregnant women were everywhere; all of them were red-faced, with a variety of extreme emotions, ranging "sad, I think this baby is never going to be born" to "angry, I hate the man who did this to me," to "this is the best day of my life I can't wait for my baby."

The second Aria walked in, all of those faces changed to, "Dear God, a teenager, what a skank," and when a substitute teacher Aria vaguely recognized from Rosewood High gasped, those looks changed to pure horror. She was no longer no-named skank, but Aria, the girl who screwed her teacher and got knocked up.

Scowling, she sat down, which spawned the bitter middle aged woman with a plethora of kids to scoot down a few seats. At this point she didn't care. She knew that what these women didn't know the whole story. They didn't know how beautiful the love between Aria and Ezra truly was.

Angrily taking out her phone, she typed a quick message to Ezra. They tried to avoid talking about the dirty looks, but sometimes it got to be too much. Luckily, he replied quickly, saying,

**I'm sorry baby, you and I know the real story. I love you. Come here when you get done. Xoxo Ezra**

She smiled. Ezra could always make her feel better. Even though she knew he was bothered by it too, he was trying to be stronger for her. She loved him for it. Pausing to think, she decided it would be a bad idea. It was a Monday; she had school and work the next day. She should go home, do her homework, and relax in the tub with a good book.

Although, she wouldn't mind a massage…. She smiled, texting him back that he could come over, but she had to be able to get her work done. Within moments, he replied that of course she could get her work done.

She put her head back against the wall and dozed off, until her name was called. She went back, still a little sleepy, to see her doctor.

"Hi Aria, how's it going? I'm Dr. Jones." This was the woman her general doctor had suggested she go to for an OB/GYN. Immediately Aria could understand why. She was young and perky, someone who seemed non-judgmental.

"It's good." Aria bit her lip. She wanted to know when she'd get to see the baby, but she felt stupid asking.

"Well, today I'm just going to do the basics, draw some blood, and feel around, just to make sure everything's okay. And if anything hurts, feel free to tell me, okay?"

Aria laid down on the chair/table and tried to avoid looking at the stirrups that sat in front of her. A few minutes later, Aria couldn't help herself. When the doctor had finished taking her blood, she blurt out, "When can I see my baby?"

The doctor smiled at her, "I wondered when you were going to ask that. Well, you're 7 weeks pregnant, so you could see your baby's heartbeat today, if you'd like."

Aria had to literally stop herself from jumping out of the chair and hugging the doctor. "Of course I want to see it, absolutely… But the father's not here…" She said, suddenly frowning. She didn't blame Ezra; he thought they wouldn't be getting to hear the heartbeat for another few weeks.

"That's fine. How about I go down the hall and check on another patient and you get the father to come on up here?" Before she left the room, Aria was already dialing the phone.

15 minutes had passed when an excited Ezra darted into her room, followed closely by the doctor, who was chuckling softly. Aria couldn't help but chuckle too, crooning, "I think dad's excited to see you, little baby."

They shared a private smile, before the doctor said, being a complete buzz kill, that Aria would have to put her feet in the stirrups. As she instructed Aria to lift up her shirt, Ezra took her hand. Aria could feel the nerves tingling in him; she'd never seen him like this before. It was a great sight, seeing him excited over their baby. It had a nice ring to it, Aria thought, before she was pulled out of the blissful moment by some kind of extremely cold gel, obviously straight from the icy part of Hell to torture women, being poured onto her stomach.

Aria yelped, almost jumping off the table. The doctor smiled politely, saying, "Sorry, I should have warned you. It's a bit cold."

"Cold? It's like straight ice on my stomach… It's so cold it burns." Aria said, pouting slightly.

Ezra looked at her then leaned in close to her, giving her a kiss before saying, "Look at the screen."

Aria looked over and on the screen she saw a tiny little speck of white. She pointed a shaky finger at it and asked, "Is that… is that our baby?"

"Yes, it certainly is." The doctor said. She hit a button and a picture came out of a nearby machine. She handed the picture to Aria and Ezra and left the room.

For a moment they looked at the picture, and they shared a knowing look, and left the room. On their walk out, the picture tucked safely into Aria's purse, they both had the same words repeating in their heads, like a mantra.

**_I can't wait to have this baby._**

**AN: Sometimes I don't update for a while because I have terrible writer's block. But huzzah! I did it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, feel free to leave me another one. XOXO, Emily**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

**DISCLAIMER: Still don't own anything**

Aria sat at the table while Ezra fixed her some dinner. Lately she'd had pretty normal cravings, so he was trying to get the basics down now, before she started craving weird things like chocolate pickle cake and burned mac-n-cheese with blueberries and whip cream on top.

He sat down next to her, holding two plates of scrambled eggs, and stole another glance at the picture Aria was holding. She had a dreamy look on her face, and he couldn't blame her. He kissed her cheek and gently took it from her.

"If you want the baby to grow more, you should probably eat something." He said teasingly, kissing her forehead gently. He has to be extra careful with her lately. It wasn't like he was abusive and rough before; but when they made love, sometimes it did get a little fast and furious. Even though they'd only been intimate a few times since she had moved in with her mom, he still worried he was too rough on her. Aria, however, practically begged him to be rough with her which was quite a temptation.

Aria looked over at him, as if reading his mind. Which she probably was; this pregnancy had pretty much synchronized their thoughts. "You can be a little rough with me, you know. I doubt you scratching my back and biting my neck will endanger the baby."

Ezra laughed so hard he almost choked on his eggs, "Well, if you put it that way…" He trailed off.

For the next few minutes they ate in silence. Ezra gently nudged her foot and Aria giggled. He loved playing footies with her, like they were still in grade school. She'd just nudged him back when the door opened. Ella came in, laughing and red faced, with Zack stepping in behind her.

They were still in the entryway when they started kissing. Embarrassed, Aria coughed and kept coughing for a good 30 seconds before Zack and Ella finally noticed.

Blushing, Ella said, "Oh God, I uh, we thought you had to work tonight! Umm.." She trailed off, looking away until she saw Ezra. "Ezra! Hi! I thought you wouldn't be coming today."

"He wasn't going to, but I had an ultrasound." Aria said, "It's probably a good thing we were here, too, otherwise we'd be The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Aria stood up, picking up hers' and Ezra's plates as she walked to the sink.

Ella, Zack, and Ezra looked at her with gaping mouths and confused eyes. "What is that? Is that a code for something?" Zack asked as he and Ella moved to sit down at the table.

"It's a show about this girl who gets pregnant in high school and she's supposed to learn all about growing up to be responsible and take care of her baby. Instead it became an unrealistic soap opera where both the mom and the daughter got pregnant and then the other daughter, who's like 13, graduated high school and moved to Florida."

She looked up to find Ezra staring at her in horror, "How do you know about this?"

Aria rolled her eyes, "Hanna watches it, of course." With that, there was a collective sigh of relief and the night continued as normal.

Once Ezra and Zack had left, Ella was just beginning to clean up the table while Aria did dishes when she noticed the ultrasound image laying there. "Aria, is this… it this your baby?"

Aria nodded, "Yeah. That's our baby. Mine and Ezra's."

In a sudden burst of emotion, Ella pulled Aria into a hug, saying, "No mother wants their child to become a parent at such a young age, Aria." For a second, Aria looked down at the ground, ashamed. Ella had always been so supportive.

She looked about ready to cry until Ella said, "But this baby is still here," she patted Aria's tummy lightly, "and I can't wait to be a grandmother." She pulled Aria in for another hug, tears shining in her eyes. "Now, go to sleep. The baby needs it."

The next morning came too soon for Aria's liking. She was still groggy when she and Ella parted ways in the cafeteria. Aria zoned in the girls, and felt the sudden vibration of her phone. Before even looking at it, she knew it was A. She didn't even bother to check the text. A was probably just wondering if she was constipated.

Sitting down, she noticed the silence. "Um, guys?" She said, and then noticed all of them were staring at their phones in dismay. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she flipped open the message from A.

**Hey Aria! Do you think they'll plan you a baby shower?**

Attached was a picture of the ultrasound. She stared in pure horror. A had some serious issues. Despite her normal non-violent attitude, Aria was tempted to take out her fork earring and stab the bitch.

"Aria, is it true?" Hanna asked, breaking the silence at last.

Aria nodded mutely, looking at them with guilt-ridden eyes. "Yes, it is, but I didn't want to keep it from you. I just wasn't ready to tell you guys yet."  
"How far along are you?" Emily asked, looking more concerned for Aria than pissed at her for not telling them.

"Do your parents know?" came from Spencer.

"Does Fitz know?" Hanna asked.

Waving her hands in the air, Aria shushed them, saying, "Guys! One at a time here. Em, I'm only 7 weeks along. Yes, both my parents and Ezra know. That's why I got a job and moved in with my mom."

Instantly the stress drained from their faces. They looked about to start badgering her again, but she had one more question. "So you guys aren't mad at me? This is kind of a massive secret."

They looked at her as if she just asked if breathing could kill you. "Aria," Spencer began gently, "we're not mad. You're only 7 weeks along. Most people don't tell until they're 12 weeks or more. I think Melissa was 13 weeks when she told us." Spencer flinched slightly at the memory of Melissa's fake pregnancy.

After that, the questions began. Aria admitted that A had rigged this, starting with the dog attack. They gasped and cringed in all the right places. As sick and sad as it was, they still were supportive of her and pissed at A.

Lunch with the girls was pretty great. In hushed voices, Aria had told them when they talked about the baby it had to be in "I'm at a funeral, please don't let the mourning family hear me" whisper. It worked pretty well.

Hanna, of course, was busy looking up outfits for the baby. "If it's a girl, you should bring her home in something white. Like maybe a dress with cap sleeves with pink ribbons on it. Oh, and for a boy, a sailor suit! With the little hat too."

Aria just chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Okay, but you get to tell Ezra that."

Spencer was online, looking up "pregnancy literature" for Aria. So far, she had five or six books for Aria and three for Ezra, as well as some for Ella and Byron.

Aria noticed Emily hadn't said anything, so she reached over to put her hand on Emily's arm. Emily snapped out of the trance she seemed to be in and looked at Aria. "I'm sorry, I know it's exciting to be having a baby, but Aria, you're so young."

"Em, I know this is a bad time. I'm still in high school. I know Rosewood isn't the best place. And I know with A still around it's still dangerous. But I need you guys to help support me. I'm having this baby. When I start showing, or A has my pregnancy printed in the paper or whatever, I'm going to need you." With that, she stormed off.

Spencer and Hanna glared at Emily. "What?" Emily said. "I didn't say anything that wasn't true! Guys, my parents won't let me see Aria when they find out! I'm sorry, but I just don't think her keeping the baby is a good idea!"

Hanna stared at her and when she spoke, her voice was low, "Em, I know you're just looking out for Aria. But right now, she needs it." She smiled, her mood suddenly cheerful again, "Besides, imagine a little baby Fitz. One that we get to spoil rotten."

Emily looked at her for a second, then stood up, saying, "I need to go apologize." And with that she was gone.

Hanna and Spencer smiled at each other, before Spencer went back to looking up "pregnancy literature" for them all.

Later that night, Aria was in the Apple-Rose Grille, taking yet another table when she saw Byron and Meredith walked in. She looked at the hostess, silently begging her to put them in another section.

Things with her dad hadn't been getting better. For the most part, he ignored her, instead choosing to only deal with Ella, an even then, only over texting and email. It was bad. Add in that he told Meredith, so whenever she saw Meredith at school she was glared at in a, "You're a whore and your father loves me best" way.

The hostess, who only knew Aria as the new server and that Byron was her dad, and as such, put him in her section. Great. Not only was she stuck with three table, two of them five-tops, but also her angry father and his slutty mistress.

She managed to finish the order she was taking and smile at them, running off to go refll some other's drinks. Knowing Merebitch would complain and probably get her fired if she didn't get over there soon, she hustled over, order pad in hand.

"Hi, what can I get you folks to drink?" She said, smiling as if they were just any other customers.

"Hello Aria," her father said in a stiff, formal voice. "We'll just have two red wines and some stuffed mushrooms. We won't be here long, I just wanted to give you this." He put the key to her old car on the table.

She froze, then said, "That's yours, I thought."

Still stiff, he replied, "Your mother and I talked about it, and since it was her car too, we've decided you can keep it, since, well, you know, because of your condition."

Condition. Aria was so angry she wanted to scream. Her baby was not a "condition." But holding that anger in, she said politely, sliding the key into her apron pocket, "I'll have your food right up."

A little while later, as Aria was cleaning off her dad's table at closing time, she saw a hundred dollar bill tucked under the ketchup bottle. She reached for it, expecting it to have a note from A written on it, since her dad hadn't left a tip. Instead, when she opened it, a note fell out, and it read,

**You're a good waitress. Love, Dad.**

Aria smiled. Even though he wasn't speaking to her, and he had to hide the money from Meredith, it still meant a lot to her that he cared.

She'd just clocked out when Ezra arrived, 9:30 on the dot, to pick her up. She got into the car quickly, thankful for the heat, since it was still cold out in January. Aria kissed him quickly, and then was shocked to hear a "Ew!" come from the backseat.

She whipped her head around and was surprised to see Malcolm behind her. "Hi Miss Aria!" He waved, "Ezr- Dad and I are having a sleep over!"

She looked over at Ezra, and he gave her the look of, "I'll explain later."

"Why are you having a sleep over?" She asked, a big smile on her face. She really liked Malcolm. He was such a good kid, and she was happy that her baby would have an older brother to look after her.

"Mommy said that there's going to be a snow day!" He replied, brimming with joy.

"Well, how does she know that?"

"She said that the teachers all did a snow dance so they could stay home!"

Aria giggled. "Well, I'm sad that I have school tomorrow, or else I'd see if your dad would let me come over too."

"We already asked your mommy, and she said you're sleeping over too!"

And with that, Aria's face fell, and she turned to face the front.

**AN: Well, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Thank you guys for all the reviews, it really means a lot to me. Hope you enjoy! XOXO, Emily**


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine but the plot.**

* * *

They arrived at Ezra's about 10 minutes later. Aria shook with nerves. While Maggie was in general very nice to Aria, if a bit cold at times, but she wasn't sure how she'd feel with her sleeping over when Malcolm was there. She kind of felt tricked into this. Of course, Ezra was busy getting Malcolm settled in while Aria pouted. All she'd gotten from Ezra was an apologetic shrug. She assumed it was her pregnancy hormones kicking in (even if it was early) but she had the almost irresistible urge to kick him in the shins. Hard.

Knowing there was nothing sh could do about it, she went to the bathroom to change into the most appropriate clothing she had there; a pair of Hollis sweatpants and a sports bra (to keep her growing breasts in place) and a tank top with a zip hoodie over it.

Aria left the bathroom, shoving her clothes in the hamper on the way out, to see Ezra and Malcolm sitting next to the typewriter. Aria chuckled. He loved the typewriter. Maybe this night wouldn't be so bad, Aria thought.

They had just set up the N64 Ezra had – his only gaming system ever – when Ezra asked Aria into the kitchen. Leaning nervously against the counter, he said, "Malcolm doesn't know yet."

For a second, Aria was confused. Then she realized what he meant and said, biting her lip, "Are we going to tell him now? I'm only a few weeks along…" She flinched, remembering horror stories of couples who jinxed themselves by telling people too early and then they suddenly miscarried.

He sensed what she was thinking, apparently, "We don't have to tell him. But I think we should. And Maggie too. They're going to be a part of our lives, and this could take some getting used to. Better now that after the baby's here."

She smiled at him, and couldn't help but cave. "I guess you're right. Besides, Malcolm will be thrilled when he finds out he's going to have a baby brother or sister."

"Oh yeah? How do you know?

"He's your son."

Chuckling, they went back to the living room, where Malcolm sat on the couch, looking bored. He looked up when they came in and smiled. "Dad! Miss Aria!"

Aria smiled and sat next to him, Ezra on the other side. "You know, you don't have to call me 'Miss Aria'. I'm going to be married to your Dad someday, so you can call me 'Aria'" she said.

He looked at her, "Can I call you Mom?"

"Well, I think you should ask your mom about that, because I don't want her to think I'm stealing her baby." She said noticed that he seemed to be frowning and said, "But, maybe someday you can"

From the other side of the couch, Ezra coughed. Aria rolled her eyes, knowing he just wanted to blurt out the news. Silencing herself, she looked at him to proceed.

"Malcolm, Aria and I have big news for you." He said, and they both turned to look at him. For once Ezra was measuring his words when telling someone a huge secret, unlike how he did to Aria's parents, and Aria was impressed.

"Are you two getting married?" Malcolm blurted out. Aria froze. She and Ezra, once she had gotten pregnant, hadn't talked about marriage. She wanted to, but she didn't want to bring it up to Ezra. She couldn't help herself. She wanted a proper proposal, straight out of an Austen novel.

"We may be soon, but right now, the news is even bigger…" He trailed off. He was lost it seemed, losing his gusto to tell his son about his coming child. Or he may have just realized he was admitting he was going to propose to Aria soon. Whichever one, he had his trademark, "Ezra caught in headlights look." He found himself just as Aria looked tempted to slap him, again, which she said was a good way to stop whatever mental breakdown he was going through, and said, "We're having a baby."

For a minute, Malcolm looked stunned. Then he just looked really, really angry. He made an unidentifiable, but clearly pissed off noise, and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Well." Ezra said. "That didn't go as expected." They both looked at each other and then out the window as the snow began to come down in heaps.

* * *

About an hour later, and much coaxing on both Ezra and Aria's parts, they got Malcolm out. Granted, he still refused to speak, but he left, which allowed Aria to run into the bathroom to relieve herself.

She came out and they were huddled over some paper, Malcolm holding a chubby crayon (Ezra was hopeless at buying age appropriate drawing utensils) and when they saw her, they both looked down, as if guilty, and shoved the paper under the table.

"Whatcha two making?" Aria asked, a small smile forming on her lips.

Malcolm grinned, giving her age old classic of, "Nooothing…" Next to him, Ezra nodded. They were both like children.

Aria chuckled and sat down on the couch, deliberately facing the other way. The second her back was turned, they were back at it, whispering behind her back. She pulled the book, "When She Woke" and started reading it. It was pretty good; she finished it within an hour, by which time she turned to see Ezra and Malcolm still leaning intensely over the paper.

Knowing whatever they were doing would probably take a while, she laid down, closing her eyes. It wasn't too long before she felt herself being gently lifted up, and carried to rest on a soft place.

* * *

The next morning she woke up to Malcolm sitting eagerly beside her, holding a card and some Pop-tarts. Aria sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Malcolm…?" she croaked, surprised at home rough her voice sounded.

"I'm sorry I was meany pants last night… So Dad let me make you bweakfast and a present!"

She smiled and took the foil wrapped package and opening it, just as Ezra came in and brought a glass of milk for her. "Thank you guys," she said and smiled. She ate her pop-tart (Wildberry, her favorite) as quickly as possible so she could open her gift.

It was the card they'd been making yesterday. On front, Malcolm's handwriting, big and chunky like a little kid's, and Ezra's, which was equally messy, read, "Baby!" with an ill drawn picture of a very, very pregnant Aria.

On the inside, Malcolm had drawn a stick figure of him holding a pick bundle. She smiled, tears welling in her eyes. On the other side, it said,

**"I can't wait to be a big brothers. Thank you Mommy 2! Love, Malcolm"**

Tears falling, she reached out and embraced both Malcolm and Ezra.

* * *

**AN: When I say this took forever to write, it seriously took forever. Finally got it done, sorry it took so long! There will be some SERIOUS drama brewing soon, but there needs to be a bit of fluff first, because all the Ezria drama on the show is depressing, and they need some happiness here, at least, until the crap hits the fan. Which will be soon. Very, very soon. ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot**

* * *

When the snow finally stopped on Monday, Aria was grateful. As much as she loved Malcolm, being snowed in with a seven year old and Ezra wasn't that much fun. Especially the night the power went out. Although, if it'd just been her and Ezra…. She grinned, licking her lips. Her pregnancy brain was kicking in, conjuring up dirty images of her and Ezra alone, candles all around, snow falling outside. She thought about all the fun they could have, especially since Aria's bosom had started to fill out.

She pulled herself from her thoughts. Things like that weren't really realistic. Not only was there Malcolm to consider, but soon enough there would be a crying baby. It wasn't that she minded, in fact she was grateful for the child she and Ezra were going to have, but she was going to miss being a teenager. The days of her dressing up all crazy just to lie around the house would be gone. She'd probably wear more spit up than skirts. Everything was going to change. For a split second, she wondered if keeping the baby was the right idea. She was so young, the scandal was going to explode the second people found out, and the baby could in theory be better off with someone else.

Feeling awful for even thinking about it, she patted her stomach and said, "Don't worry baby, nothing could ever make me give you up."

"What'd you say, babe?" Ezra called.

When she looked up to answer, he was in the most ridiculous outfit known to mankind. He was wearing thick overall, the kind meant for serious snow, with a huge coat, and a hat with earflaps and a huge scarf and mittens. She laughed, rocking forward, hands still on her belly."I think the most important question here is what are you wearing?"

He turned red and looked at Malcolm, who wore the same thing. "We're going to go play in the snow. And Maggie told me Malcolm has to be extra bundled up because he gets sick a lot."

Aria continued laughing, asking, "Well, why are you wearing it?"

"So you don't feel left out!"

Aria looked at him, confused, until he pointed at a hot pink outfit that was clearly meant for her. Knowing there was no way out of it, she grabbed the suit, a bit shocked by the lengths she would go to for her men.

After a lot of wiggling and strapping her in (Aria gigged when Ezra had said that, picturing things that were not child friendly) she was outside standing in the snow next to Ezra. He was holding the camera he got for Aria and taking pictures of Malcolm next to the huge snowman he built.

"Imagine how much fun this will be when we have two kids to play with out here," Ezra said.

"Oh, I can imagine. Malcolm will have a decent snowball fight." She teased.

His face turned serious and he said, "I am excellent at snowball fights."

She shook her head and he quickly pocketed the camera, bending down to grab some snow, which he promptly threw at her.

She shrieked and said, "That does not count, I'm standing right next to you!"

"Well you better move, then!"

That started what was possibly the best snowball war ever, especially when Malcolm joined in and turned traitor on Ezra. By the end of it, they were red faced and panting. Even Maggie pulled up, they didn't think the fun was over.

Until, of course, Malcolm ran over to her, excited and said, "Mommy! I'm going to be a big brother!"

She froze. The smile that had been on her face dropped. Looking at Malcolm, she said, "Go wait in the car. I'll be there in a minute."

"But my clothes are upstairs!" He protested.

"We're going to go in and get them. We'll be out in a few minutes." The sound of her voice made Malcolm run to the car.

Despite the walk to Ezra's apartment only being about three minutes, it was the worst minutes of Aria's life. Once they were inside, Maggie rounded on them and asked in a low, dangerous voice, "So, you knocked up another girl, eh? Are you going to make your mommy pay her off like you did to me?"  
"Maggie, you know that's not what ha-" Ezra began, but she interrupted them, clearly ready to explode.

"It doesn't matter what 'happened'. I can't believe you're so stupid you knocked up another dumb high school girl! If you wanted a family, you should have left this whore and been with me! We already have a son. You don't have to be with her just because she's pregnant."

Aria was pissed. "He's not with my because I'm pregnant, he's with me because he loves me."

"Oh yeah? Well, he said he loved me too! And then he left me. He's going to leave you too, slut!" She reached out, as if to smack her, but the small but mighty Aria grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her head.

"I wouldn't recommend hitting me. I'm 17 and pregnant. Do you want to go to jail for assault?" Aria huffed, then released her. She was about to push her to the door when Ezra opened his mouth.

"Don't come back here. I don't appreciate you coming into my home and yelling profanity at me and my girlfriend."

"Don't worry, Malcolm and I won't be coming back." Maggie said, opening the door.

"Actually, I think Malcolm will be. If this is how you get, I don't think I want you around my son."

She froze, completely in shock. She obviously didn't think Ezra would even try, especially after not being around for seven years. Aria walked up to her and gave her Malcolm's stuff and said, "You can leave now."

Still stunned, Maggie took Malcolm's belongings and slowly headed through the door. Aria closed it behind her, almost literally hitting her ass on the way out. As soon as the door was closed, Aria leaned back against it. "So, that didn't go as planned."

"It was pretty bad. I didn't expect it to be good. I just didn't think she'd still have that bad of a temper." Ezra said, and when Aria looked puzzled, he pulled her to the couch. He knew she'd need to sit down so she didn't go running after Maggie to pummel her with her tiny fists. "We started dating our freshman year. It all started off pretty well, just the cute handholding and stuff. About six months in to our relationship, she started to get really angry at me. Once she broke my lamp when she was so mad she kicked my desk. I blew it off at first, because her parents were getting divorced and she was stressed about it. I thought she'd get over it when things were settled."

"Ezra, you're smart, so how did her breaking a lamp not tip you off?" Aria ask, jumping in the second he paused.

"I was 14. Maggie was the first girl I ever truly liked. I was a gullible, hormone ridden boy. Don't judge me!" He said, then smiled at her, letting her know he was kidding. "Like I was saying, before someone interrupted me, she moved in with her mom, and she stopped being so angry. That lasted about nine more months. Middle of our sophomore year, she started begging me for sex. Despite my raging hormones, don't look at me like that, I know you know how sexual I can get, I didn't want to have sex with her. Call me romantic, but I wanted to wait until the perfect time, with the perfect girl." He kissed her forehead gently and looked at her, pure love shining in his eyes. "I was stupid and I gave in. We only had sex once or twice. Then, during my senior year, I asked her if we could take a break. By then we were having sex pretty often. My parents thought we were too serious. At that time, I thought they knew best; even know, I know they were right."

"Who told you to do it?" Aria asked, hoping it wasn't his mom, considering all she'd said about Aria.

"Don't worry, it was my dad. He hadn't been there, he'd moved to France when he and my mother divorced. He came to visit and told me we needed to slow down. I listened to him, and I broke up with her a few days later." He paused for a breath and then continued, "She went ballistic. She trashed my car, she broke into my house, and she even broke into my school locker and burned everything inside. She was out of her mind. We almost had to get a restraining order, until a month later, when she calmed down. During that month, she begged me to see her. I did, and she told me she went so crazy because she found out she was pregnant. So I decided it didn't matter, we needed to get married. I didn't want my child to be a bastard. And well, you know the rest."

For a moment, Aria was stunned. She quickly recovered and said, "Wow. And here I thought Meredith was a crazy bitch."

* * *

**AN: Ugggggggghhhh! Sorry it took me so long, school's crazy. But I promise to try to update more often. As always, thank you for reading and please review! And if you'd like to request something, feel free. XOXO, Emily**


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